Rin's Season
by I'Like'Cheetos
Summary: What happened when Sesshomaru told Rin to stay in the Village? Better yet, what happens when he returns after her season has come?


**Well I have a little bit of a writers block... So this is something that I wrote to try and get my juices flowing again. This is just a little something that has been eating at my brain since I saw The Final Act last year. I just watched it again (in English this time) for the hell of it, and this little baby was inspired.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. But I have an amazing amount of respect for it.**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

***8 Years Ago***

_"Jaken. We are leaving." says an extremely prestigious voice from the Dog Demon Sesshomaru._

_"Y-yes M'lord" says the imp as he starts to scurry behind him. Walking away from the small human village that consists of his half brother and his companions, a meek voice comes from a small child._

_"Coming, Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin happily runs to him to continue with his journey._

_"No," he abruptly says as he turns to face a confused Rin._

_"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asks deeply confused and a little scared all the sudden._

_"No Rin, you are not to accompany me any longer."_

_Her heart drops to her toes._

_Her eyes grow wide._

_"W-what?" she rises a hand to her lips as they start to tremble in unbelief._

_"You are to stay here. You will no longer follow me."_

_..._

_She feels her heart tear in half as tears threaten to flood her eyes._

_"L-Lord Sesshomaru..?"_

_"You are to stay with your own kind." he says with no emotion in his face. Yet deep down he, too, is hurt by this decision. "Do you understand?"_

_Rin couldn't speak. How? How can this happen? Did she do something wrong? Did she overstep her boundaries in any way? Did she make him angry? What did she do to deserve this punishment? What is she going to do?_

_Sesshomaru couldn't handle her tears. He can sense her pain and it makes him hurt internally. Slowly he sighs silently as his eyes soften at her sadness. He knows that this is difficult for her and it is not easy for him either._

_He feels that nothing else is to be said, so he starts to walk away._

_Rin feels as if the life is being sucked out of her the further away he becomes. She harshly inhales as she immediately runs to him._

_Suddenly, Sesshomaru stops in his tracks. His breath escapes him as he felt the most unfathomable sensation. He felt the arms of a very weak little girl, pleading for mercy, hugging him in sorrow._

_"Please." is what she was able to let out in a whisper. He felt her fear in the tremble of her body. "Please forgive me." she continued to say. "Whatever I did. Please forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru." her tears escaped her eyes._

_He could not speak. Nothing he could say would make her feel any better..._

_Until he heard her last lament._

_"Please don't leave me...Lord Sesshomaru." she choked and struggled to say his name. "Please!"_

_He stood there for a long time accepting her embrace. He never wanted her to let go. People all around were wow'd and awed at her bold move of touching the Demon Lord of the West. But they were even more shocked to see what had happened next._

_Sesshomaru used his two hands to release the grip of the strong yet weak child. Her tears only increased at his action. Though she could do nothing besides do as she was silently told, as soon as he let go of her, her hands went straight to her face as she started to sob as quietly as she could to keep from making a scene. Letting him go forever._

_But to her surprise, she suddenly felt two strong arms embrace her tightly as if she were about to fall. Opening her eyes in complete shock, her senses were right._

_He actually knelt down to her level and embraced her tightly._

_Sesshomaru was hugging her._

_She lightly gasped as he pulled her tighter and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck._

_Rin was astonished. Sesshomaru literally took her breath away. She was quick to replace the embrace and they stayed like so for a long while._

_"You will not be alone, Rin." he suddenly whispers in her ear. She only holds tighter to him at his comment. "You will be safe here until I return."_

_That made her heart beat once more._

_Parting their embrace, he holds tightly to her arms so he can look into her eyes._

_"L-Lord Sesshomaru?" she wipes her tear stained face to keep herself calm and brave._

_"You shall return to me when your season has come." he says looking to her, making sure that she understands the meaning._

_Giving the smallest smile, she nods as best as she can._

_"I understand," she says sniffing up her tears._

_"Good." he says as he does something that no one had ever thought he would do in his entire life._

_He pulls her head close to him and he lightly lays a kiss on her forehead._

_By then, the whole town had been watching. Even Inuyasha's group. They had never seen such gentility from him before._

_Letting her go, he turns his heel and walks on without looking back. Rin stands in the same spot watching as he walked away until she was unable to see any part of him._

_For hours she had stood there, just watching; waiting. Hoping that he would change his mind and return for her._

_It wasn't until Lady Kaede had found her and took her with a loving hand and led her back to her new home._

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

_'8 Years have gone by since that day. And I still don't understand his words. My Season? What is that supposed to mean?'_ Rin loses herself in the deep thought as she walks past that very spot where she had last seen Sesshomaru. She is on her way to the field for herbs that Lady Kaede told her to get for Kagome. Thinking on those words even more she only becomes more confused._ 'Seasons? So many seasons of the weather have come and gone, so he can't mean that...'_

Rin is a lovely woman entering her 16 year, a woman with so much to give, and asks nothing in return. Her personality is almost as beautiful as her smile, and everyone around her has come to love her very much. She has been learning the ways of being a healer, as well as a mother with Sango and Miroku's 5 children, and Kagome and Inuyasha's 3 Pups. She is surrounded by love and family, and she couldn't be happier with the life that she has now. Living with the way of her own kind is nice and peaceful, at least when Inuyasha and the Monk keep the demons at bay.

Truly, there is not a day that goes by when Rin doesn't grow significantly.

But there is just something...

Something that she just cannot understand about herself.

She feels empty.

Picking the herbs from the fields just outside Lady Kaede's hut, she looks forward to see the lake that resides just down the hill. Smiling, she yearns to feel the waters and reside in a peaceful spot just by herself.

Putting the basket down, she walks onto the small lake. It's a beautiful day. The sun is bright, it's a little breezy, and all of the flowers are in bloom.

She looks down at the rainbow of colors._ 'Look Lord Sesshomaru. Aren't these flowers pretty?'_ she remembered._ 'I think I will pick a whole bunch and make a surprise for you.'_ she smiled at the memory. _'Tah-dah! I made a crown for you!'_ she thinks as she picks up a purple flower._ 'You look like a king.'_ her smile fades. _'You will always be my king, Lord Sesshomaru!'_ she crushes the flower in her hand and lets the breeze take it from her grasp.

"Why," she whispers to herself. No one is around to listen to her quiet cry. "Why haven't you come back for me?" she asks herself as a tear starts to shed.

"Rin!" a distant voice calls from the herb field. Her mind erases as she hears the voice. "Rin? Where did you go?"

Wiping her tears, she smiles big and bright as she turns around.

"Over here, Lady Kaede!" she waves. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"So Rin," Kagome says as she feeds her youngest child.

"Yes, Lady Kagome?" she asks with that contagious smile.

"Your birthday is coming up, I hear." she says as her baby spits out the food.

"Yes. It's tomorrow. My 16th year." she adds as her eyes wonder from her friend.

"My oh my, that is a big one." she says as she sees Rin losing interest in the conversation. "What do you think you will get this year?"

"From you? I expect something from your world. The "book" thing you keep talking about sounds interesting." she smiles.

"No, no. Not from me." Kagome says standing to clean off her baby. "From Sesshomaru." Rin's heart skips a beat every time someone else brings up his name.

_'It's true. Every year for my birthday, he leaves me something for me at my doorstep. The gifts are amazing, and they look to be priceless. But he never gives them to me personally. That would be the most amazing birthday gift he could ever give me.'_

"Oh, no. Sorry. I forgot, that's not your favorite topic for discussion."

"It's okay. I'm fine, really."_ 'Actually. I love it when other people mention his name. It means that he wasn't just a wonderful dream that I made up. It means that he is a real person.'_ "I don't know what I would get. It's extremely different every time. But he just happens to know what I would absolutely love." her eyes brighten at the thought of him. Her smile is genuine and her heart flutters.

Kagome sees what is written all over her friends face. She sure has grown, hasn't she?

"Do you love those gifts because they are useful, or are they useful because they come from Sesshomaru?" Kagome suddenly asks.

"Huh?" Rin asks in confusion.

"Rin. What do you think Sesshomaru meant when he said he would come back when your season arrives?"

"I..." Rin looks away from her friend. Honestly, she has no idea. She has been trying to figure that for the past 8 years._ 'What **does** he mean by that?'_

Suddenly, Kagome lies a friendly hand upon her friends. "It's okay not to know right now." Kagome smiles in reassurance. "You will know when you are ready to know."

"Hey Kagome." Inuyasha suddenly walks in after a hard days work of fighting demons.

"Hey sweetie." Kagome says hugging her husband with her pup in her hand.

"Mommy, Mommy!" their other two children run in right after their dad after a hard day of training. "I'll bet you guys are hungry little puppies!" Kagome smiles as she is hugged from her children.

Rin looks to the beautiful family that Kagome and Inuyasha have created. Inuyasha has become a good man to look after his ever growing family, and Kagome is so very happy. Rin knows that Kagome and Inuyasha deserve it after that fight with the Demon Naraku long ago. Their love is so strong, and their children are so much fun and absolutely beautiful...

...

So very beautiful.

"Rin, you are more than welcome to stay with us for dinner." Kagome says seeing the sadness of her friend. Rin perked up and smiles.

"No, no. That's okay. Lady Kaede wants me home a little early tonight anyway." her smile fades as she points to the door. "I'm just going to go." she says walking out as normally as she can before she practically runs just outside the village behind a large oak tree.

Sitting, tears start to form in her eyes. She sees the the sun has just about set for the day. Looking up, she sees the stars are already starting to come out. Yet with the first one she sees, she closes her eyes really tight and makes a special wish.

_'Lord Sesshomaru?'_ her memories return again. _'Rin, you should be asleep.'_ she remembers his voice so clearly._ 'But I had a nightmare, m'lord.'_ she remembers his eyes._ 'I'm scared.'_ she remembers his face..._ 'Come here,'_ he told her as he offered a hand._ 'You shall lay with me for the remainder of the night.'_ he would continue to save her, even from her dreams._ 'Okay!'_ she was so happy that she got to sleep on his lap.

He always helped her.

"Lord Sesshomaru."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Lady Kaede," Rin gently spoke among the dim fire that was left in the late night.

"Yes, child," Kaede spoke in the kindest of ways.

"Have you ever wished on a star?" Rin asks as she sits up against the wall with her knees close to her chest. Kaede rolled over to see sadness in Rin's eyes. Sadness that never left since that fateful day.

"Yes, child. All throughout my childhood. I still do every once in a while." Kaede tries to comfort her pupil.

"Have any of your wishes come true?" Rin looked for answers within the fire. Kaede sighs.

"Yes." she was honest. "One in particular." Rin looks to her with hope.

"What was it?" she had to know.

Kaede looked to the fire herself as her face had, too become sorrowful. "To see my sister." she was honest.

Rin gently gasps. Kaede did see her sister. Even though she had died, she had returned to life to fight Naraku. Rin remembers and smiles.

"Was it what you expected." Rin just wanted to hear the story.

Kaede smiles and shook her head no. "Not at all how I would have imagined it." she looked to the girl. "But I did get to see her. And we did get to speak." she sighed looking back on those memories. "Truthfully, it was wonderful." Kaede starts to shed a small tear for her sister.

Rin listened deeply at what Lady Kaede had to say. It was beautiful, the love she shared for Lady Kikyo. It warmed her heart, while at the same time gave her a little spark of hope.

"When Lady Kagome left, Inuyasha was sad for a little while, too." Rin remembers. "He returned to the bone-eaters well every 3 days to see if she would return to him." Rin held her legs tighter while looking into the fire. "He waited for her for 3 years." her smile faded. "Then she came back. They got married, had children-" Rin could no longer speak.

"Indeed she did." Kaede adds. "Though while she was gone, she had a lot to take care of. Only when she was able to settle her disputes in her world was she able to really return to where she was destined to be." Kaede knew where this was leading to.

"So, Lady Kikyo returned to you." Rin smiled. "And Kagome returned to Inuyasha. So does that mean-" she didn't want to say what was on her mind. "I made a wish, Kaede. I hope it comes true."

Kaede turned herself over to sleep.

"Get some sleep, child. You have a big day tomorrow." was the last thing she said before heading to sleep herself.

_'That's right. My birthday is tomorrow. That means when I wake, there will be a special gift waiting for me at my doorstep.'_ she remembers the small little ritual that comes of her birthday, really the only thing that she looks forward to._ 'That means that he is coming here.'_ Rin gasps in realization._ 'Even if only for a moment.'_ her mind ponders this for a moment. Then she decides.

_'I'm going to see him tonight. No matter what. I am going to see Lord Sesshomaru again!' _she says to herself as she starts to hear the even snore of Lady Kaede.

Without wasting another moment, she races to the door as quietly as she can without waking her dear friend.

Walking out on the calm and cooling night, the wind breezes through the trees and the air is sweet with the smell of burning wood from each home in the village. She looks the the billions of stars that shine bright and illuminate the beautiful dark sky as a crescent moon resides and caresses the night. Rin deeply inhales the nighttime air and smiles.

_'Tonight is the night that I am going to see Lord Sesshomaru.'_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

She had been waiting on the side of her hut for what seemed like hours on end. She has tried to stay as quiet as she can so she wouldn't wake anyone. She only sits, waiting, watching, listening for anything that her senses can make her remember. Closing her eyes. She remembers him clearly. His tall stature, his strong hands, his long hair, his protection over her, the pattern of his garb, even his armor. She remembers all the time she had been saved by him. All of the times that he had come for her when she was taken. She remembers falling into a deep sleep and waking up to see him caressing her. How can she forget any of that?

She remembers the wonderful memories, and wants to make more.

Then she realizes. It it selfish of her to want to much?

Does he want anything to do with her?

Does he want her?

_'You shall return to me when your season has come.'_

He wouldn't have said that if he no longer wanted her.

**Thump.**

_*Gasp* 'What was that?'_ Rin's eyes bulge at the sudden sound of something hitting the ground. Her heart drops as she slowly stands. She contains her breathing, not wanting whatever is there to hear a sound. Slowly standing, she turns the corner to see her doorstep to see what it could have been. '_Lord Sesshomaru, is it finally you?'_

Slowly she turns the corner. She can hardly contain her enthusiasm as a smile grows upon her face.

She practically jumps out of her hiding spot to see...

His present at her doorstep.

Only his present at her doorstep.

Her heart drops to her toes.

...

_'W-What?'_ her eyes look every which way to see where he could be. On the path? In the air? But he was no where to be seen._ 'L-Lord Sesshomaru?'_

"No," her whisper left a tear in her eye. "I missed him?" she was in shock as she looks to see his gift for her at her doorstep. She starts to tremble at the thought._ 'How could I miss him?'_ her tears start to fall.

"Rin,"

...

*gasp*

...

Her heart stops beating.

"You should be asleep."

She smiles. She can hardly believe it.

She quickly spins around to see him. Sesshomaru; her Lord Sesshomaru.

He's here.

_'He's here!'_

She tries to speak but she can't. She is just in aw. He's actually here.

After 8 years. She finally gets to see him again.

"Lord Sesshomaru." is all she can mutter in a whisper. He lets her continue. "You're here." she hasn't smiled that big in a very long time.

"Why are you awake so early?" he asks in the same stoic voice that she remembered. She is just so happy to see him, yet she heard concern in his words. She lowered her head in embarrassment.

"I knew you would come, m'lord." she says blushing. "You always come the night before my birthday." her smile grows bigger. "I just wanted to see you." her voice was as meek as when they had first met.

He looks to her. No longer is the the 8 year old that he had come to care very deeply for. She has grown into a beautiful young woman, and has been doing so every single day. He has never been far from this village. In fact, he has watching her with a very close eye. He never left her, but only stayed in the shadows to watch her blossom into a beautiful woman, staying clear from her eyes. He needed to see her grow and thrive in the human village without him, he needed her to see simplicity.

And he would see her sadness.

He could smell her tears, and he could literally feel her sadness. He had hoped that it would fade and she could move on, but he knew she never did.

"You like living here." he says with no emotion, knowing that is the truth. She smiles.

"I do." she nods. "Everyone is nice, and Lady Kaede says I will become a Lady of the Village very soon." her smile fades. "It's wonderful." she has no smile.

His eyes flicker at the water in her eyes.

"You aren't happy." he says.

She looks up to him, not knowing how to respond. She doesn't deny the fact that she is miserable when he is not around her, nor will she ever admit it.

"What's not to be happy about?" she suddenly blurts. "I'm learning, I have a family. It's something to be proud of." she refuses to look him in the eye. "I belong here." she couldn't even convince _herself_ with that last comment.

"Rin-"

"Has my season come yet?" she cuts him off. He just looks to her. He only stays silent. "M'lord, is it time?" her eagerness shows. Again, he does not answer. He doesn't know how to. "Please tell me I can go back with you." she says looking into his beautiful ember colored eyes. "I want to go back."

"I know you do." he says with a nod, he knows exactly what she has always wanted. He would give everything for her.

"So you will take me back?" she smiles holding the hope in her hands.

"No,"

"Why?" she shouts.

"Your season has not come yet."

"What does that mean?" her arms fall to her side. "I have been waiting 8 years for you to return. I have been yearning to see you, to touch you, to hold you. To have you."

"Rin-"

"I have been so, very patient, M'lord. And I am tired. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to hurt anymore." she starts to cry. She holds herself as she starts to cower away from him. "I-" she backs away from him.

"Rin," he says as he starts to walk towards her. She tries to back away from him, but he catches one of her arms hugging her body.

_'His touch.'_ she looks down at her feet.

"Look at me." he gently commands as his beautiful voice soothes her ears. She forces her head to shake a harsh 'no'. And he just uses his other hand to caress her chin to gain her eye contact.

She looks to him...

His eyes.

They're filled with love.

His thumb moves as his fingers hold her cheek as if she were made of porcelain. He loved touching her skin.

Her arms weaken at his touch, as his hand finds hers. He pulls her hand up to his chest and holds her oh, so tenderly.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she whispers.

And before anything else was said he had laid the most beautiful chaste kiss upon her lips.

So beautiful. So loving. Letting her know that she is going to be okay.

He was so gentle to her. So caring, so very wonderful to her. She never wanted to let go.

She felt whole again.

...

He parted from her, she not quite ready to part from him yet. Their eyes meet and he himself smiles at her.

"Tomorrow." he says as he never left her mesmerizing eyes.

She doesn't say a word, just questions him with her eyes.

"Tomorrow will be your season." he says as his thumb holds onto her cheek for dear life.

Rin lets out a much relieved breath. A breath that felt as if she had been holding it for 8 years.

She had to say it. She couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I..." she struggled. "I love you." she lays out her deepest secret in hopes that he will accept.

His smile remains as his thumb wipes her tear away.

"I know." he says with such gentility to her delicate soul.

She grasps onto his garment clutching for her life, never wanting to let him go.

"Tomorrow?" she asks as meek as a mouse once again as she nuzzled her face within his chest, holding on to his neck for dear life.

His hand gently caresses her head as he whispers "This I swear." into her ear. "You will always be with me."

They stay like this for a long while. Not wanting to let each other go.

Yet he manages to part from her, as he caresses her chin again and jumps into the air as he floats away from her.

_'Tomorrow.'_ she holds her hand to her heart._ 'And then you will always be with me.'_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

**What I wanted to do was show what could have possibly happened when Sesshomaru told Rin to stay. I think she would be understanding and trust he come back, or end up like this. I wouldn't have been very happy, either.**

**While writing this, I was listening to the slower music of Inuyasha. It is absolutely beautiful and it fit so well within the story.**

**I really wanted it to feel like you were watching a scene from the show... I hope it worked!**

**For those of you who are waiting for another chapter of The Omoiyari, it is coming soon. This, I promise you!**

**Thank you for reading!**


End file.
